Jan 28 - Feb 1 Programs

Dear Here-on-Earthians,

We need each other in this cold weather more than ever, don't we? We've put some extra care into planning this week's programs. Here goes:

Monday: Temple Grandin is considered one of the world's top animal behavior experts. She attributes her understanding of animals in part to her autism, which enables her to "think like an animal." She joins us to talk about her latest book, Animals in Translation.

Tuesday: The Art of the Obit: Two writers of obituaries, one British, one American, team up to tell us what obituaries say about our cultural differences.

Wednesday: Genesis Farm: If the names Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme mean anything to you, you'll relish this opportunity to talk with the founder of Genesis Farm, an Ecological Learning Center located in New Jersey.

Thursday: What happens to our cast-off computers and cell phones? Find out when we talk with Chris Carroll, the author of an article on High-Tech Trash in this month's issue of National Geographic that examines the environmental and health impacts of discarded electronics dumped on places like New Delhi.

Friday: Delizia! Okay, it's not just another excuse for Feraca to talk about Italian food. Think epic history. Think why Mussolini loved risotto, how early pizzas were disgusting , and how pasta really got to Italy. Could an Englishman appointed Commendatore by no less than the president of the Italian Republic not be worth listening to? Join me with John Dickie who doesn't just know about Italian food; he also wrote Cosa Nostra, hailed in Italy as the best book about the Mafia ever written. (Do I sound defensive?)

Tune in, stay warm, and come see me at The Wine Guyz in La Crosse this Saturday, if you can. I'll be reading at noon from Chapter #3, "Get Thee to a Winery," from my memoir, I Hear Voices.

Jean

Jan 21-25 Programs

Cari Amici!

(Somehow that sounds better than "Dear Friends," which is usually the way fundraising letters begin).

This week on Here on Earth begins fittingly enough with a tribute to that great American, Martin Luther King, Jr., but I think we've found an unusual way in…

Monday: Join us with the co-founders of Atlanta's International Community School, inspired by the vision of MLK, where American students learn together with immigrants and refugees from 40 countries.

Tuesday: The International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, a group of women working to preserve their collective tribal wisdom and pass it on to the next generation before it's all lost. We'll meet two Council members and talk with a journalist whose work has made them famous.

Wednesday: Now here's a twist: Searching for Nebraska in France? Kent Cowgill wrote a book called Back in Time, an account of his nostalgic journey through the countryside of France in search of the rural life and culture of his own native Nebraska. Guess what? He found it!

Thursday: Satish Kumar, the editor of Resurgence Magazine and a great spiritual thinker, is the subject of a BBC4 special broadcast, Earth Pilgrim. He joins us from England to talk about reverential ecology.

Friday: Live from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Join us for special "Food Friday" edition of Here on Earth when I'll be joined by Tim Hall, Cajun chef and Louisiana transplant who will deliver a real Mardi Gras feast, I guarantee!

Lend us your ears, and may the Packers win!

Jean

Jan 7-11 Programs

Dear Friends of Here on Earth,

Have you seen Charlie Wilson's War yet? The movie tells the true story of a Texas Congressman who funded a covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. We'll be talking about it on Monday's show with the director of the nation's only Afghanistan Studies Institute, and Martin Frost, Charlie Wilson's Congressional peer from Texas.

Tuesday: Northern Ireland: The Latest Tourism Destination! Belfast is in the process of turning its violent history into a tourism attraction. We'll be talking with a columnist for the Boston Globe who's been covering Northern Ireland for 20 years – the sites of bomb blasts and killings are now opportunities for tourist dollars.

Wednesday: Songs of the Holocaust: We're working on a program with recording artist Anne-Sofie von Otter who just released an album of songs from the Terezin concentration camp.

Thursday: As India accelerates its rapid modernization, we take some time to remember that its mythic past is still alive and well in a country where disciples of Lord Shiva still walk barefoot, and dreadlocked holy men speed around on bicycles. Tales from Mythic India told by poet and playwright Kamla Kapur, author of Ganesha Goes to Lunch.

Friday: The program on Japanese food we promised you last week with tips on how to stay slim and healthy in the new year.

I'll be with you on Monday, Veronica will be filling in for me the rest of the week. Don't touch that dial!

All best wishes for the New Year,

Jean

Dec 24-28 Programs

Dear Friends,

I hope you enjoyed our week of holiday programming as much as we enjoyed producing it. As one faithful listener pointed out, last Friday's program about Primo Levi (Last Christmas of the War) - which left everybody in tears including gentilissimo Ernesto Livorni, my guest who actually slapped himself when he started to cry – was reminiscent of the Thanksgiving Day programs I used to do with Connie Kilmark when we asked listeners to tell us about the best gift they ever gave, or received. Powerful stuff. My favorite kind of radio.

Anyway, because we had such a favorable response to The Christmas Package (Dec. 15), we've decided to repeat it on Christmas Day. We're also repeating our program about the Evolution of Santa Claus (Dec. 18) on Christmas Eve. So here's how the week looks on paper:

Monday: The Evolution of Santa Claus, from his origins in ancient Turkey to Jolly Old St. Nick

Tuesday: The Christmas Package: an unforgettable story told by an Italian Jew who gets a Christmas package from home delivered to him in Auschwitza month before the end of the war.

Wednesday: Back to the Bonobos with the great Swiss biologist Frans De Waal, author of The Inner Ape, who insists we got it all wrong by claiming chimpanzees as our evolutionary ancestors instead of the peace-loving bonobos, the hippies primates who make love instead of war.

Thursday: In 1969, young Kirin Narayan's older brother, Rahoul, announced that he was quitting school and leaving home to seek enlightenment with a guru. Another familiar motif from the sixties, and a link to our evolutionary past, explored with Indian anthropologist, Kirin Narayan, author of the memoir, My Family and Other Saints.

Friday: Just when you're sick of the whole idea of food: delicious and healthful slimming secrets from the author of Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat.

Merry Christmas! And to all a Good Night!

Jean

Jean in The Big Apple

Friday, December 21, 2007

I can't let this year slide away without giving an account of my magical four days in The Big Apple. On Tuesday night, December 11, I gave a reading from my memoir, I Hear Voices, at the Borders bookstore on Park Ave. and 57th Street. For those of you who may not know New York, that's considered a pretty swanky part of town, right next to Bloomingdale's in the heart of the toney upper eastside. It's also a part of the city that holds special resonance for me since my Uncle Dominick's office used to be just off 58th St., and my great-grandfather actually helped build the German section of the city known as Yorktown. What a thrill - to find my book displayed in the window facing 57th St.!

Anyway, in spite of all my apprehensions and actual nightmares that nobody would show up, over 100 people were there! - quadruple the crowd that the store usually draws. Borders had to keep adding more and more chairs and finally put a second sound system in the back of the room so that everybody could hear.

Much like the launch of the book back in October at our own Borders on University Ave. in Madison, I felt once again, looking out at the crowd and recognizing so many people from so many different decades and sectors of my life, that I had died and gone to heaven. Stomping around in my new boots and embroidered black velveteen coat that my husband says makes me look like one of the founding fathers (not exactly the look I was striving for!), I read for over an hour and had to be cut off by the management when the Q@A went on a little too long.

I spotted old friends in the crowd: Mariana, my Cuban roommate from college in the crowd; Mara, my best friend from fifth grade, and new friends too, like Annie Lanzillotto. Jacki Lyden was there, all the way in the back, looking exceedingly glamorous in a sweater with a full yoke of white fur; Diane Ackerman came too, all the way from Ithaca. My friend Melanie's father was among the first to arrive, displaying his birth certificate to prove that he really is 96 years old; my son Giancarlo sent four of his friends; my husband made sure there were a few scientists in the crowd, and Dominick, my son, the artist, looking lushly Byronic in a black velvet jacket, leaned back in his chair in the front row, his eyes closed, drinking in my words. I tell you, it was the thrill of a lifetime. And we sold a lot of books too.

Dec 17-21 Programs

Dear Friends,

We've decided to go for broke this week and test your tolerance by lining up a whole week's worth of Christmas programming! Don't touch that dial! We have a hunch you're really going to like it.

Monday: Navan, the singular a cappella group starring the polyglotton-ous Sheila Shigley, joins us to celebrate Celtic songs of the season: (sung in the original languages) mostly hair-raising, sometimes jazzy, mysterious songs that give fascinating insights into the pagan underpinnings of Yuletide.

Tuesday: The evolution of the modern-day Santa from its origins in Turkey (!), to Holland where Santa arrives with a boatload of Negroes who beat you up with sticks if you're bad (and nobody thinks it's racist), to The Miracle on Forty-Second Street. Now how could you not like a program like that?

Wednesday: Theologians John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg have teamed up again to give us a brand new and controversial interpretation of The First Christmas.

Thursday: Get ready for the Winter Solstice Poetry Circle of the Air with Molly Peacock. Molly has chosen a set of sonnets poet Marilyn Hacker wrote while undergoing surgery for breast cancer during the holidays, an irony all too commonplace. Look for the poems on our website and bring a solstice poem of your own choosing to the circle.

Friday: Wisconsin-born/Paris-based chef Patricia Wells joins us to give a French twist to the Christmas feast.

Have a great weekend. I'm outa here.

Jean

Dec 10-14 Programs

Hi Folks,

I'm headed for The Big Apple this week to give a reading from I Hear Voices at the Border's on 57th St. in mid-town Manhattan on Tuesday. Whoop-de-doo! Hopefully, more than five people will show up. I've worked so hard to drum up a crowd, I've even invited my best friend's brother from high school!. In my absence, Lori Skelton will be hosting the show to kick off the week and she's come up with a couple of dandy topics:

Monday: Lori Skelton talks with James Devita, APT actor and author of the recent novel "The Silenced," and Deborah Ellis, award-winning author of children's books, about contemporary literary role models for young girls and the challenge of crafting an identity when the world around you is far from stable.

Tuesday: Lori Skelton and guests discuss Winter Solstice celebrations, through time and across cultures.

Wednesday: Curious about what international students think of America? We'll talk with four winners of a UW international student essay contest representing four continents.

Thursday: The Paradox of the Ganga: India's Most Sacred River and its Pollutants, a journey narrated by a British documentarian.

Friday: (My Pick of the Week) The great Italian humanist, Primo Levi, much to his surprise, received a package of goodies for Christmas while he was in Auschwitz. Poet Ernesto Livorni of the Italian Department, UW-Madison, reads and discusses Levi's essay, "Christmas in Auschwitz." You'll love it!

Wish me luck!

Jean

Dec 3-7 Programs

Dear Friends,

We have an unusually political line-up to kick off the month of December:

Monday: The UN gets a report card on its Declaration of Human Rights created in 1948, almost 60 years ago. We'll talk with members of Wisconsin's Governor's Commission on the UN, the only body of its kind in the US.

Tuesday: Do scientists play God? Turns out, that depends on your religion. We'll talk with Lee Silver, the author of Challenging Nature: The Clash Between Biotechnology and Spirituality, About the East/West Scientific Divide..

Wednesday: Beyond Caudillo: How Michelle Bachelet is changing the legacy of August Pinochet in Chile.

Thursday: At long last, we catch up with Jonathan Groubert and his new program from Radio Netherlands. This week's edition is, appropriately enough, about Overconsumption.

Friday: Spice: Want to know what it took to get those pumpkin pie spices into your Thanksgiving feast? Join us with the author of The Taste of Conquest: The Three Legendary Cities: Venice, Lisbon, and Amsterdam: how their single-minded pursuit of spice helped create the Western diet and set in motion the first great wave of globalization.

Hope you'll be listening and calling!

Jean

Nov 26-30 Programs

Hi Here-on-Earthians,

Question of the Week: Have we dropped the ball in Afghanistan? (See Wednesday's program with former NPR foreign correspondent Sarah Chayes).

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and here's what we have to look forward to when we groan our way back to work on Monday:

Monday: How do you measure the distance from an African village to an American city?: We'll talk with Anne Makepeace, the maker of Rain in a Dry Land, a POV documentary about the challenges faced by Somali refugees confronting racism, poverty, and 21st century culture shock.

Tuesday: Beyond Caudillo: We're working on a program about Chile's woman president, Michelle Bachelet, who is taking her country beyond the legacy of Pinochet.

Wednesday: Once again, we catch up with our gal in Afghanistan, the redoubtable Sarah Chayes who has been helping Afghani entrepreneurs to develop a soap and body-oil business while they all dodge the Taliban's bullets. Have we dropped the ball in Afghanistan? Let us know what you think by sending a message to hereonearth@wpr.org and posting it on my blog at www.hereonearth.org.

Thursday: The Seed Bank: It's a project ongoing in Norway to preserve all the seeds on earth in case of catastrophe.

Friday: Space Food: in the future we may all be eating what the astronauts eat. God forbid.

I hope you can join us, and I mean that in more ways than one. We are in the process of developing a more interactive production process, hoping to solicit your input on issues we tackle in advance of the broadcast so you can play a more active role in helping to shape the program. The first step is in introducing The Question of the Week. See Sarah Chayes' article, “Scents and Sensibility,” in the November issue of Atlantic Monthly for more background on what's going on in Afghanistan.

Enjoy your turkey!

Best,

Jean

Nov 19-23 Programs

Hello Everyone!

This will be a short week for us since the crew is taking off for a long Thanksgiving weekend.

Here's what's coming up:

Monday: Words Without Borders, the online magazine for literature in translation, is hosting a big event in Soho called "Tales from the Global Village." We'll talk with some of the featured writers from the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.

Tuesday: Radio wizard David Isay, the creator of StoryCorps, joins us to talk about Listening as an Act of Love, and to share his favorite StoryCorps moments.

Wednesday: It's the season of charitable giving, but with so many choices and so many worthy causes, how do you decide which one to pick? For the Charity Navigator and the Alternative Gift Guru, join us for this program on Internet Philanthropy.

Jean

So What Did You Think of Annie?

Friday, November 16, 2007

I met Annie Lanzillotto in Denver a few weeks ago at the AIHA Conference- the American Italian Historical Association. Like Robert DiNero, Al Pacino, Jake La Motta and Anne Bancroft (who grew up on her block), she's a pure child of the Italian-American Bronx. Raw and red-blooded, Annie has the courage and the heart of a lion. And she looks like one too. She wears a long tan leather coat and an Artful Dodger hat. She sometimes goes by the name of Rachele Coraggio. She even had a dream recently in which her father appeared to her and told her that the 'L' in Lanzillotto is for 'lion."

She was sitting in the front row, her big frame slouched in the seat right in front of me, at one of the panels. Then when she got up, turned around and started performing her monologues with names like " The Abandoned Lasagne," "Saving My Grandmother's Leg," "How to Cook a Heart," and " The Iceman Cometh," I knew right away that here was my blood sister, my grandmother, Commara Celestina, my mother, and my brother Stephen all rolled into one. Annie's tongue is bathed in red wine; her heart is full of Barese viagra, and she has the sweet smug smile of a lioness. She's pure gold. I love her.

Now, tell me. Because I need to know. Do you love her too? If you didn't hear the Food Friday program today, listen tonight at 9:00, or listen to the archived program when it gets posted in a few days. I need to know!

Thanks,
Jean

Nov 12-16 Programs

Wow! Will Shortz, Leonard Nimoy, and a radioactive food fighter from the Bronx. Brace yourselves for a banner week on Here on Earth!

Monday: Suduko: It's a cross-number puzzle from Japan that's conquered the world. Never heard of it? Neither had I. But not to worry -- Will Shortz will set us straight.

Tuesday: Cuba Confidential

Wednesday: Leonard Nimoy, a.k.a. Mr. Spock from Star Trek, is actually an accomplished photographer who's turned his considerable talent to an unusual topic – Fat Babes!

Thursday: How is the 2008 presidential race stacking up in the eyes of the rest of the world? Can we shake the Cowboy image? Is there a post-militant America in our future? John Nichols weighs in.

Friday: Don't miss this show! I was in Denver last weekend at the American Italian Historical Association's conference where I met Annie Rachele Lanzillotto – I call her Lancelot. Annie is a brilliant, incredibly funny performance artist who does side-splitting monologues about growing up Italian-American in the Bronx. The focus, of course, is on food: Join us for "The Abandoned Lasagne," "Never Leave Home Without a Frittata," and "How to Cook a Heart."

Gotta go.

Jean

Hello Friend,

Here’s what’s in store for Here on Earth listening the first week in November:

Monday: one of the most powerful activist voices of the 20th century: Francis Moore Lappe gives us a sneak preview of her Monday night presentation at the Barrymore Theater in Madison when she’ll be talking about her visionary new blueprint for how to revitalize our democracy: Getting a Grip.

Tuesday: Is a solar house in your future? We talk with the leaders of two of America's most innovative solar housing programs, and with an engineer from Montreal, all of whom took part in the Solar Decathlon, a worldwide contest to find the best new solar housing designs. Guests: (1)Stephen Lee, Carnegie Mellon University; (2)Pliny Fisk, Texas A & M University; (3)Nicolas Fiolin, Bell Canada

Wednesday: We read about an 84 year old anthropologist in Egypt who’s been making great strides in ending the practice of FGM: female genital mutilation, which is so widespread it’s almost universal among Egyptian women. Our redoubtable Chinese producer, Lisa Bu, persisted until she made contact and talked her into doing a show with us.

Thursday: A new look at an ancient practice: Green Funerals. The green funeral movement started in Europe, and now it's taking root in the U.S. Since January, six "green burial grounds," natural areas reserved for burials in simple coffins, without embalming, have opened in the U.S., as more and more people opt for a more natural, and less expensive, burial ritual. Guests: (1) Joe Sehee, director, Green Burial Council; (2) Mark Harris, Author, "Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry"

Food Friday: When The Cheese Stands Alone: find out how to navigate a European-style cheese counter with confidence and learn about fascinating new "live" cheeses and exciting artisanal offerings. Guests: (1) Laura Werlin, author of "Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials" (2) TBA from Fromagination (www.fromagination.com)

I’ll be spending this weekend in Denver as a participant in the American Italian Historical Association’s meeting, reading from I Hear Voices.

Thanks for listening!

Jean

Oct 29 - Nov 2 Programs

Dear Friends,

Here’s what’s coming up for the week of Oct. 29 on Here on Earth:

Monday: I’m betting that you’re going to love this program about the Monks of Taize, an ecumenical community of over a hundred brothers living in Burgundy, France, both Catholics and Protestants, from 25 nations. We’ll talk with Brother John, an American, and find out what gives Taize its youth appeal.

Tuesday: An update on the American debate on torture with Michael Ratner, the president of the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Wednesday: Frankenstein! Frankenstein! Frankenstein!

Thursday: We’ll talk to Matt Frei, the anchor of the all-new BBC World News America – which, in this case, means North and South!

Food Friday: A very groovy program with the author of a most unusual memoir about food. It’s called Eating As I Go: Scenes From America and Abroad by world traveler and scholar Doris Friedensohn.

Much to chew on!

Jean

On Launching a Book

Friday, Oct. 23, 2007

Reaping the whirlwind: I Hear Voices became officially available on Sept. 24; the launch was Oct. 4; ever since it's been non-stop radio interviews, newspaper interviews, readings, postings, emails, and travel - this weekend to Door County, next weekend to Denver for the American Italian Historical Association's conference meeting; after that it's San Diego, then the McMillan Library in Wisconsin Rapids, and then the 57th St. Borders in New York City on December11! No wonder I lost my voice in mid-sentence this week. A wild roller-coaster ride - exhilaration one minute; disappointment the next.

The readings have been great - energizing and gratifying. The radio interviews vary - sometimes they miss the name of my program - one guy called it "On Earth" - other times they don't even get the name of the book straight. My favorite interview was with Joy Cardin on the first day of our Pledge Drive - she hit all the hot spots and best of all, let me read lots of passages from the book. Much as I appreciate the wonderful reception the book has been getting here at home, my great hope for it is that it will go national. (Just like my great hope for Here on Earth, come to think of it). I guess I have an "I coulda been a contendah" complex - remember what Marlon Brando mumbled to his brother in On the Waterfront just before Charlie ended up on a meat hook - "Charlie, I coulda been a contendah.."

Attza me!

I'll post some responses next week.

Oct 22-26 Programs

Hi Guys,

We have some old friends coming up this week:

Monday: Those of you who remember Conversations with Jean Feraca, my mid-morning talk show, will doubtless recall Dawna Markova, psychologist and educator, author of How Your Child Is Smart, who used to cast her radio spell quite regularly on our airwaves. She's coming to Madison to give a workshop on Secrets of My Russian Grandmother next weekend and we'll get a preview this coming Monday.

Tuesday: Every once in a while a new voice emerges with the power to change the world. Women for Women International Founder and President Zainab Salbi is such a voice. She joins us on the eve of United Nations Day to share her personal experience as a survivor of war and her dedication to rebuilding communities ravished by war, one woman at a time.

Wednesday: Everybody's worried about Iran. Is war with Iraq's neighbor inevitable? Who better to ask than Gary Sick, principal White House aide during the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the U.S. hostage crisis. He'll be giving his talk, "Is a U.S. Strike on Iran Inevitable?" on Thursday, October 25, at 8 p.m. in Grainger Hall's Morgridge Auditorium, 975 University Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

Thursday: Languages are disappearing from the earth as rapidly as animal species. Who cares? What difference does it make?

Friday: Patrick O'Halloran, (better known as O-all-orino), the Irish chef at Lombardino's in Madison who is doing his utmost to make up for his Irish culinary deficiencies, has just returned from yet another tour of Italy -- this time all by himself to little known villages where he ate regional delicacies you and I would probably never touch.

Thanks for hanging in there with us during pledge drive and for all your support now and throughout the year.

Jean

Oct 15-19 Programs

Dear Here-on-Earthians.

As you know, we are now well-launched into our October pledge drive and I have to say, so far, it’s been a lot of fun. I hope you were listening to Joy Cardin’s 8:00am program when yours truly was the guest, and my new book, I Hear Voices, was the topic. We raised almost $13,000 in one hour, thanks to all of you who called in! And John Nichols did a spectacular job on my program this afternoon, culling 60 pledges, almost half of which were from new members. How wonderful! Almost as heartening as watching the Pete Seeger documentary.

Well, we try hard extra hard to keep you entertained, informed, and amused during these pledge drives because we know all too well how easy it is to tune out. So here’s what’s coming up:

Monday: The Impact of Podcasting: Join me with New York Times multimedia producer Amy O’Leary to find out how podcasting is changing the broadcasting industry. You’ll also meet some Here on Earth podcasters and get a chance to win an eight gigabyte iPod Nano. (whatever that is – for me , this is a steep learning curve).

Tuesday: We found a way to revisit one of our favorite programs from my old talk show: Every Thanksgiving financial counselor Connie Kilmark used to join us to host a program on The Best Gift You Ever Gave, or Received. This year we’re re-introducing it with a Here on Earth twist, Connie and all.


Wednesday: Terry Gross! Terry Gross! Terry Gross! This is your chance to interact with one of NPR’s stars, the veteran host of Fresh Air, and cast your pledge to win a ticket to her presentation at UW Whitewater on Oct. 30.



Thursday: Every once in a while I fall in love with a book. My latest affair is with Sustenance & Desire, a perfectly beautiful book that features all the things I love best in this world: poetry, food, art, all deliciously packaged in a book you’ll want to take to bed. Trust me, you’ll love it too when you meet its creator, an artist who goes by the intriguing name of Bascove. One word.

Friday: Patricia Wells graduated from the University of Wisconsin before taking off for Paris where she has now become a well-known food aficionado. She joins us from Paris with stories, tips and recipes from her latest cookbook.

You see how hard we’ve worked to please you? Won’t you help us to make this pledge drive not only successful, but fun – a real celebration of a invisible community – a great and magical karrass, to paraphrase Kurt Vonnegut, "with a Chinese doctor, and a British queen," and You!

Jean

Talking to Pete Seeger

Friday, September 25, 2007

If you need a lift, by all means see the new documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song which is touring the country and is now showing at Westgate in Madison for another week. Short of that, listen to my program with him which aired last Tuesday.

The man is 88 years old and he's still chopping wood! That's the first shot of him that we're treated to in the film: he's there in the woods, chopping wood in front of the log cabin that he built himself many years ago.

But what really impressed me, apart from the fact that his whole life rings true, is that he's so oriented toward the future. He drives an electric car; he hangs out with kids; he's optimistic about the changes we're likely to see in next few decades; he's out there protesting the School of the Americas; he still finds reason to love his country; his only regret is in not having supported his beloved's wife Toshi's artistic development. Most old people look backwards; only a very few, most of them visionaries, look forward. What a guy!

I Hear Voices!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A few weeks ago a box appeared on my doorstep. I opened it and, much to my surprise, inside were 15 copies of my new book, I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Life, Death, and the Radio, all wrapped in plastic. Mind you, I knew the book was coming out, but the official date that I had been given by UW Press was September 24, so I wasn't quite prepared for the shock.

All the books are still sitting in the box in my front hall, still wrapped in plastic, except for one which went to my son when he was home for a visit last weekend. The books, I am told, are already available on Amazon, which bothers me a little bit. I've been instructed not to talk about it in public until bookstores have had a chance to order copies. The lag time is about three weeks -hence the Sept. 24 launch date. So I find myself in a strange sort of time warp. It's a little like being about to deliver a baby - the waters have broken, but the labor pains haven't started yet.

Meanwhile, I've had a nightmare. I show up at Borders in Madison on the day of the launch - Oct. 4 - and I open up a box, expecting that there will be books inside, but instead, what I find is sandwiches - seven submarine sandwiches, one for each chapter, all neatly wrapped and separated by waxy green florist's paper. Did I say 'launch,' or was that 'lunch'?

Anyway, I hope to see you there. Here are the dates:

Border's West in Madison: Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7:00pm
Overture Center, Madison, noon on Sunday, Oct. 14 (as part of the Wisconsin Book Festival)
Harry Schwartz' Bookstore at Shorewood, Tuesday, Oct. 16, at 7:00pm in Milwaukee.

Meeting Aracelis Girmay

Friday, August 10, 2007

It's been a long time since I've been excited by a book of poetry. The first time I opened Aracelis Girmay's Teeth, I knew I was in the presence of a real poet. Right away I called Sandy Taylor, her publisher at Curbstone, and asked to book her on Here on Earth, but he did one better. He arranged for a reading for her at Rainbow Bookstore in Madison so she could be right here in our studios for our program last Tuesday.

In "Arroz Poetica," the first poem in Teeth, she writes...

You name, I will have noticed
on a list collected bya Iraqi census of the dead,
because your name is the name of my own brother
....
because my students are 12, because I remember
when my sisters were 12. & I will not
have ever seen your eyes, & you wll not
have ever seen my eyes
or the eyes of the ones who dropped the missiles.
or the eyes of the ones who ordered the missiles,
& the missiles haveno eyes.

She is Etritrean on her father's side, Puerto Rican and African-American on her mother's side, and I ask myself, is that what it takes to be able to feel for the Iraqi civilians who are dying every day in this war? Do you have to be a "woman of color" who writes only in red? What can we say about a country whose people are forbidden to mourn even their own dead? Who are not even allowed to see their coffins, let alone their eyes? It's our Refusal to Mourn that may be the greatest hole in the heart of this country the greatest blow to our humanity. Thank God for poets like Aracelis, young as she is (29!) who have the power to unstop our throats and loosen the words and the tears that should be falling from our eyes, even as they fall from their eyes, every day of this Endless War.

Talking to the South Pole

Friday, July 27, 2007

It's good to think about ice in the middle of July. Nothing but ice, wind, the startling crunch of boots on snow in -60 degrees, and not one, but three south poles to contemplate, encircled by the flags of many nations - the only spots of color in a landscape of oblivion.

What I love most about being human is the connection I feel in the place where science, art, and religion all come together. Yesterday's program about Project Ice Cube brought me into that place of rare convergence and left me there to contemplate the sublime folly of such projects, both grandiose and preposterous. Will they succeed in capturing neutrinos, those ghostly particles more fictional than fact? Do neutrinos really hold the key to our understanding of dark energy, the Big Bang, and why our universe is expanding so rapidly? Nobody knows.
To do something for its own sake rather than to reach a goal strikes me as the highest form of human endeavor.

After the program was over, the physicists actually admitted that what they most hope to find is nothing at all. That would rule out all the current theories and force them to start all over again. As my husband is so found of saying, "The Messiah must never come."

My Atheist Scientist Husband Chats with Francis Collins

Friday, July 27, 2007

Last Tuesday, Francis Collins, the head of the Human Genome Project, was a guest on Here on Earth, talking about his bestselling book, The Language of God. My husband, who listened to the program, had this email exchange with him the day after the program. They each gave their permission to share this exchange with you:

Dear Dr. Collins,
My wife, Jean Feraca, just interviewed you on Wisconsin Public Radio. She is a religious person. I'm a non-believer/scientist. We have endless conversations about science and religion. I could not resist sharing with you two reactions to your comments.
There were two surprises for me in your comments.
First, you describe God in very anthropomorphic terms. After you said "God wants ..." or "God planned ..." I realized that you were describing a god who is a reflection of yourself; i.e. a god who really loves science and nature and thus laid down a world that a scientist would really enjoy exploring. There is so little ambiguity and wonder in this god; it seems to me a surprisingly limited (and excessively self-oriented) concept for such a big idea as a god. I CERTAINLY ADMIT THAT IF GOD IS REAL, THERE IS NO WAY OUR PUNY MINDS CAN ACCURATELY ENVISION WHAT HE IS LIKE. I THINK OF GOD AS AN UNIMAGINABLY AWESOME INTELLIGENCE, AN UNFATHOMABLY PROFOUND MIND, A PURE AND HOLY TRANSCENDENCE. IF I SOUNDED ANTHROPOMORPHIC IN THE INTERVIEW, THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION. I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK OF GOD AS A GUY WITH A WHITE BEARD UP IN THE SKY. I THINK YOUR WIFE WANTED TO ASK ME THIS SAME QUESTION AT THE END OF THE FIRST SEGMENT (MAYBE AFTER HER DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU?) BUT THE STATION BREAK GOT IN THE WAY.
Second, you mentioned that the "evidence" that you find compelling for the resurrection is that so many people believed it and wrote it down. I'm amazed that you would consider this any kind of evidence for anything at all. Millions of people believe and write down all kinds of things that you would agree are not at all credible. THAT'S CERTAINLY TRUE. BUT THE PRESENCE OF LOTS OF MYTHS DOWN THROUGH HISTORY DOESN'T PROVE THAT THIS ONE IS TOO. EVEN MANY ATHEISTS ADMIT THAT THE EVIDENCE FOR THE RESURRECTION IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD -- HAVE A LOOK AT "THE RESURRECTION OF THE SON OF GOD", BY N.T. WRIGHT, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK AT THAT EVIDENCE. But, following on Jean's question about compartmentalization, I just don't understand how the scientist in you is silent on this point. For you to believe in a resurrection, you have to abandon nearly all the scientifically-supported ideas you have about nature. It seems like your god would one day flip a switch and turn off natural processes, let this one event get through the door, and then flip the switch again. How does the scientist in you allow the other side of your brain to believe that? A FAIR QUESTION. BUT THE REAL QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT TO BELIEVE IN GOD. IF ONE MAKES THAT LEAP (AND IT IS INDEED A LEAP, NO QUESTION), AND ACKNOWLEDGES THAT GOD IS THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE AND ALL OF ITS NATURAL LAWS, THEN IT IS ONLY A VERY SHORT STEP TO ACCEPT THE POSSIBILITY THAT GOD MIGHT OCCASIONALLY AT MOMENTS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE CHOSEN TO INVADE NATURE AND VIOLATE THOSE LAWS. THAT HAPPENED MOST DRAMATICALLY IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST. AT THE SAME TIME, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I THINK MIRACLES ARE REGULAR EVENTS -- I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE AND I DON'T EXPECT TO.
I'M SORRY NOT TO HAVE MORE TIME TO ELABORATE ON THESE VERY IMPORTANT POINTS. BUT A MORE THOROUGH EXEGESIS OF THESE ARGUMENTS CAN BE FOUND IN MY BOOK "THE LANGUAGE OF GOD".
Sincerely,
Alan Attie

Lisa Bu in China

Lisa Bu, our intrepid and magnificent Here on Earth web producer, was invited by her alma mater, the UW Madison Business School, to guide a group of MBA students on a seven day tour of China last month. She came back with the following report:

"I spent a week in Beijing as translator/guide for a UW-Madison MBA class. The trip is an eye-opening experience for many students and even me, a native Chinese. This is my first real visit of the city since I was five. I know from media that the city has changed tremendously, but seeing it with my own eyes is different. The sheer scale and speed of the development takes my breath away. At the same time it concerns us when we see how serious the pollution is. The sky is almost never blue but gray and fuzzy, even in the mountain area where the Great Wall is. Safe drinking water is another issue. We had to be very careful only to drink bottled water, and buy water from trusted vendors. I joked that bottled water had become my new security blanket -- can't go anywhere without it.

Another unexpected experience I have is how proud I felt being a Chinese when visiting the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall for the first time. Much larger and taller than seen on TV or photos, they stood in front of me like a magnificent but silent giant. I was in awe, as if having just witnessed the emergence of an ancient hero from a storybook picture to a live figure with flesh and blood. The giant looked so familiar yet so new at the same time. Through my life, I have seen its pictures and read its stories thousands of times. Yet touching its wood and stones and taking in its air and smell, I felt as if I was making acquaintance with this magnificent giant for the very first time. Although it can't speak, it's living and breathing. History has never been so vivid and direct. I could hear its heartbeat. And I knew that's the heartbeat of my ancestors, that's the heartbeat I'm carrying in my body. I felt so proud. "

Lisa and a UW Business School student shopping for clean bottled water in Beijing where the temperature was typically near 100 degrees. Lisa said water became her "security blanket."







After Beijing, Lisa went to visit her family in her hometown of Changsha, a city of 6 million in Hunan Province. Here you can see a remnant of the old city side by side with the ever-present evidence of construction that is so typical of the new China.

Celebrating the Fourth

Friday, July 6, 2007

So we did something pretty gutsy this week, I thought, doing a program on the CIA's "Family Jewels" on the Fourth of July. We worried a lot about it beforehand and went back and forth about whether it was appropriate or not. In the end, we decided to go ahead because, after all, what's more American than the right to dissent, even though it's easy to duck and self-censor in this period in our history when our leaders are trying to label dissent as un-patriotic.

So Patrick Paczerski, our crackshot intern who produced the program, lined up a set of three interesting guests: a Latin American historian who recited a lintany of our transgressions south of the border, veteran newsman Daniel Shorr who reported on the CIA's misdeeds back in the 70's and took a heavy hit as one of the reporters on Nixon's hit list, and a British political philosopher who reminded us that love of country means warts and all. Just as we had anticipated, we got a call from someone who chided us for doing a program critical of America on the Fourth of July. We should have been talking about our war heroes instead, he said. I wanted to say in response that Daniel Shorr is one of my war heroes. But Dan spoke so well for himself. When I asked him how he, as an American who had once been threatened with jail for his investigative journalism, was celebrating the Fourth of July, he said, " ...Just like every other good American!"

Here on Earth began its first broadcast on the Fourth of July weekend four years ago. Happy Birthday, America. Happy Birthday, Here on Earth. May you both live up to your greatest promise. I'm proud to be an American.

AOL Instant Messaging

Friday, June 22, 2007

You may have noticed that a few weeks ago, in addition to giving out the toll-free call-in number and the email address during the program, we began mentioning that listeners can also chat with us on AOL Instant Messenger. Now, mind you, I've never done such a thing myself, and I confused it with text messaging. This was an idea that was brought to us by one of Here on Earth's bright young student producers, Dan Rosinsky-Larrson, and frankly, I didn't hold out much hope for it.

And then, lo and behold, during yesterday's Poetry Circle of the Air, Barbara contributed a poem sent to us from Michigan by IM (- that's shorthand for Instant Messenger in case, like me, you didn't know that.) And today, during the Raw Milk Wars program, we received another IM from Andy. It's exciting! A whole new way to interact with the program. Joe tells me it's easier, more direct, and takes less time than email, and that appeals to folks who may be listening while they're at work. For the benefit of those of you who are new to this and might like to try it out, I've asked Joe to write up a brief explanation of what it is and how to use it. Look for it in my next posting.

And by the way, Sardinia was spectacular. Postcards and photos to follow.

Ciao

When Phil Corriveau

Off to Sardinia!

Friday, June 8, 2007

Just a quick note to let you know I'll be gone for a week - off to Sardinia with my husband to eat sardines and squishy squid ink pasta and hang out with reformed brigands who now operate B&B's. Sardinia has 7000 nuroghe- mysterious towers that are believed to have been built by Neanderthals. It's Bronze Age all over, with villages where all the men dress up in shaggy sheepskins and don wooden masks once a year to impersonate wooly mammoths that are driven out of town in a spring fertility rite. How could you not love a place like that? I'll be back with a report on June 18th, and an interview with Al Gore about his new book, Assault on Reason. Very cool guy.

Keep listening!

Exploding the Amish Myth

June 1, 2007

Well, guys, I really didn't expect that I would come away from The Branding of the Amish, today's food Friday program with food historian William Woys Weaver never being able to think about the Amish in the same way again. A post for their buggies outside Walmart? Feeding pizza to their wives and horses? Crisco and confectioner's sugar for icing? Where will I buy my chickens now?

Seriously, there must be some purity somewhere. Where?

Have a great weekend, and keep those cards and letters coming!

Jean

Here on Earth Combats Illiteracy in Liberia

Friday, May 25, 2007

It's almost 6:00pm on a holiday weekend and I'm dying to get out of here, but I don't want to leave without sharing the great news of the week with you: Juli Endee called from Liberia late on Wednesday to tell me that the woman from Bopalu who spoke on behalf of her Muslim sisters the day I visited the village with Swanee Hunt's delegation, asking to learn how to read and write, (her photograph appears in an earlier entry) has been found. The literacy program will begin this week! Juli has arranged for teacher training with teachers from the Ministry of Education. But here's the best part: there will be not one women's literacy program, but six!

When Juli got off the plane in Monrovia, she was met with a queen's reception - traditional dancers and singers performing in her honor - she gave a press conference on the spot and announced that Jean Feraca and her radio show Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders was starting a literacy program for the women of Bopalu. Well, word spread, of course, and before you know it, there were six programs in six different venues. The American Embassy is thrilled and has asked me to send six packets of ABC's! And now there's a song about us!

Happy Memorial Day!

After the Open Line

May 25, 2007

As most of you know, I hosted an open line a few weeks ago on May 2. It was the first open line we had done since starting Here on Earth four years ago. Even though many of you were very positive in your comments, the ones I took to heart were critical. I was discouraged at first, and then I started thinking. Why not try to recapture some of the magic of the old program? So, with Carmen Jackson's help, that's what we tried to do this past week - successfully, I think. But I'll let you be the judge.

This was the line-up: Comedy From the Axis of Evil, a program about circuses and elephants, Paul Davies on the new cosmology, a conversation with a Canadian poet who recreated the journey of Huishen, a 5th century Buddhist monk, and a side trip into Cajun country. God, I had fun. How about you?

Keep those cards and letters coming. You're really helping me re-shape the program without losing its core values. Sort of Cajun, come to think of it!

I love having you guys as real partners.

Thanks!

Jean

Hell Without Joe

May 11, 2007

Well, it's been a hell of a week. Those of you who are curious about what goes on behind the scenes in radio will enjoy my tale of the Week From Radio Hell. Joe Hardtke, our wiz-kid TD (that's jargon for technical director), got married last week (through no fault of his own) in an outdoor prairie setting with the wind blowing so hard it erased the minister's words and practically lifted the bride, veil and all, right off the ground. Or was that the groom. His obvious joy was contagious, as was his invitation to get all of us up on our feet on the dance floor, jumping up and down with him while we all screamed like three year olds,"I'm so hap-py, I'm so hap-py!"

Alas, that was the end of my happiness. All week long in Joe's absence we have been plagued by all manner of technical evils. The monitor in my studio started flashing like a strobe, I couldn't hear anything in my headphones, the guests were nowhere to be found, the music for the billboard was lost, the CD wasn't burned on time, and today, instead of a nice Italian version of Mama to roll meatballs by, we got heavy metal instead! or some scary thing I had to shout over in order to be heard at all! Joe, for God's sake, .....come home!!!! I promise I won't make obscene gestures at you for at least another week!

Yanamono Clinic - A Great Radio Story

May 4, 2007

Yesterday I had Linnea Smith on the program for the first time in years, a wild woman who when she isn't riding her motorcycle around Wisconsin's backroads, is treating snakebites and malaria and machete cuts at her clinic in the Peruvian rainforest - Yanamono Clinic, designed and built on the banks of the Amazon by Rotarians from Duluth, Minnesota, in response to my first interview with her in 1990.

It's such a great story, and one I never tire of telling. It says so much about the power of radio to connect people across the great divides - be they national, cultural, or racial. I got to spend a week in the Amazon some years ago, checking out the clinic in the company of a group of pharmacologists, many of whom went down there clutching well-worn copies of The Celestine Prophecy. I almost lost my mind that week. As much as I loved the idea of the clinic, I kept wrestling with the question, Was it really a good idea to build a western-style medical clinic in the heart of the Amazon? especially since I met several native healers and shamans while I was in the jungle. I have written at length about all this in the chapter called "A North American in the Amazon" in my forthcoming book. The last words in the chapter are "here on earth." And yes, that is a double plug.

The Easter Feast

April 16, 2007

When I was hosting "All About Food" in the old days, I often found that my cooking was subtly influenced by the program. I began adapting my heretofore highly orthodox, and some would say downright dogmatic Italian cooking style, experimenting with new ingredients, new spices, even new ways of thinking about food, usually with happy results.

On Good Friday we did a program in celebration of the Easter Feast based on the unusual congruence of Passover and Easter all ocurring in the same week this year, and Greek Orthodox Easter coninciding on the same day with the Roman Catholic observance, something that happens only in a blue moon, a blue Passover moon, that is. One of the things I learned in doing that show was that Passover and Pasqua derive from the same root. Well, duh.

My Greek friend Voula (and she is my dear friend and Mediterranean sould-mate sister), had ended up crying on the phone to each other on Friday morning, both of us yearning for the communal observances that used to characterize Holy Week when Voula was growing up in Thessaloniky, and I was growing up in New York. Doing the program together was a way of - forgive me - getting our Easter rocks off.

But it was also a truly Here -on-Earth inspiration for me. Yes, I made my traditional Italian Easter dinner - a gorgeous platter of antipasto to start with followed by my grandmother's homemade manicotti and roast leg of lamb with green beans and mushrooms. But this year something was different. We had a lit minora on the table, Jews, Catholics, atheists, and Greeks sitting down together, Voula's bowl of dyed red eggs, and her wonderful ricotta and philo pastry made with vanlla from Madagascar for dessert. "Christos Aneste!" "Happy Pesach" "Happy Easter."

None of that would have happened had it not been for my program.

Jean

A Shorter Version of the Podcast?

April 9, 2007

At today's Here on Earth editorial meeting, we discussed the idea of sending out a second, shorter version of our podcast which would end by the first break - i.e. at twenty minutes into the program. Apparently, most podcasts are far shorter than one hour, and, according to podcast listening patterns, young people especially are far more likely to listen to something that's hit and run. The good news is that, providing they like it, they will want to listen to the whole thing. Any disclaimers? We'd especially like some feedback from our podcast crew, and by the way, what should we call the thing? Here on Earth: R2D2? Here on Earth to Go? The Here on Earth Podcast Digest? Please help if you're so inclined. We need you!

Thanks,
Jean

The Muslim Women of Bopalu, Liberia

March 23, 2007

When I conceived "Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders," I imagined not just a radio program, but a vehicle for possible global social transformation. "Words tenderize the heart; they lead to deeds," as St. Teresa of Avila said.

At the end of my week in Liberia, our delegation flew by helicopter (there being no roads to speak of) to the little village of Bopaulu, the first Liberian village to boast a woman mayor.
We descended in the belly of a huge white UN helicopter to be greeted by the entire village, with all of the children lined up outside their schoolhouse to meet us. I was embarrassed. Such an honoring! So much expectation!

The Muslim women were waiting patiently for us. After we had arrived and were seated, this woman stood up to speak on behalf of her community. She was strikingly beautiful, with regal bearing, and she spoke eloquently in her native Kpele language. The women wanted a Women's Center, she told us, where they could gather. They wanted to learn how to read and write. Listening, my heart went out to her. Why should I be able to read and write, I asked myself, and not this beautiful woman?

Soon after leaving Bopalu, our delegation returned home. I couldn't stop thinking about the Muslim women of Bopalu and their eloquent spokeswoman, especially after my husband made these prints for me. The opportunity to make a difference in their lives came when Juli Endee, Liberia's Cultural Ambassador, paid me a visit last week. Juli is Kpele; her organization, as it turns out, Crusaders for Peace Village, has an office in Bopalu. Together we worked up a little budget: $300 for a press to make mud bricks, another $300 to pay the men to build it, $300 for 3o chairs, x amount for pads, pencils, a blackboard and books, a modest stipend for two teachers, and before you know it, we had raised enough money to launch The Bopalu Muslim Women's Literacy Project. I am so happy.

A Visit From an African Queen

March 22, 2007

I met Juli Endee in Monrovia,Liberia, at the Mamba Point Hotel where I was a member of Swanee Hunt's delegation in December. Juli showed up at the leadership training workshop that was conducted by Swanee and her staff, but Juli could have given a workshop on leadership herself. That night, she rounded up the Crusaders for Peace, her band and cultural troupe, and entertained us royally. Besides being Liberia's Cultural Ambassador, Juli is a traditional African queen, so designated by the members of her Kpele tribe, and boy, can she shake it.

When I found out she was planning to be on tour in the US in February, I made sure she knew I wanted her to be a guest on Here on Earth, but she did me one better. She came to Madison and stayed with me as a guest in my home for a whole week. Now I can give a workshop on the care and feeding of queens!

Juli is a magnificent woman. While she was here she gave a master class in Chris Walker's African dance class at the UW that was so well received, the chairman of the department invited her to return with her troup in June to be a part of the World Dance Festival. But that's not all. The primary purpose of her visit to the US is to raise money and support for the Crusaders for Peace Children's Village she is building for women and children (primarily girls) who have survived Liberia's civil war. Juli used her music as a tool in helping to bring about an end to the war. As a matter of fact, as she mentioned on the air, the first soldier to lay down his arms surrendered to her. What she didn't tell us was that he first held a gun to her head.

On the last morning she was here, the two of us launched the Bopalu Muslim Women's Literacy Project which I will explain in my next posting.

Happy Spring, Everyone! Let me know what you thought of our Poetry Circle of the Air today, and how we can get more of you to call in.

Jean

A Caller From Melbourne

Friday, February 16

Gung Hay Fa Choy! That's Happy New Year in Chinese. I just learned that from today's program with famous Chinese chef (Yan Can Cook) Martin Yan. I co-hosted the program with our own Lisa Bu who comes from Hunan Province - Martin is from Guangzhou (formerly Canton) - both in the south. It was a delightful experience and I learned a lot about the place of food in Chinese culture.

Yesterday was a banner day. John Nichols was in studio, commenting on the fracas that went on all week between Australian prime minister John Howard and Barak Obama. Toward the end of the program we actually got a caller from Melbourne, an Aussie named Noel Knoll who told us he's a regular listener. When it's 3:00pm in the Midwest, it's 10:00 tomorrow morning in Australia. What a thrill to think we're actually growing a global public radio community. That was my dream in starting Here on Earth. Thank you, Noel! I hope we'll be hearing more from you.

On another note, next Wednesday I'll be giving a presentation on my trip to Liberia at the Center for African Studies in Ingraham Hall, UW-Madison campus. It'll be a brown bag at noon and I'll be showing slides, some of them my own, some that Swanee Hunt took herself. It's free and open to the public so I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there.

Have a great weekend.

Jean

My Remedy for the Winter Blues

Thursday, February 8, 2007

I don't usually get this personal on this blog, but I wanted to share my remedy for the winter blues with you. Yesterday I went home with a killer headache which lasted all night and kept me home all morning. About mid-morning, I started to feel better and started thinking about cooking. I rummaged in the freezer and discovered a turkey neck and innards left from last Thanksgiving. Ah hah! I thought - I can make soup. Soup turned into gumbo, but the real remedy was what I did with the turkey liver. When I was a child, my grandmother used to make a chicken liver oer'd'oeurve (she called them hors-de-vores, which drove my mother, the French teacher, crazy) which I loved. It was incredibly simple and incredibly delicious. All she did was sautee a diced onion in butter in a little frying pan to which she added the chicken livers, cut up very small, and allowed them to cook very slowly in the butter and the onion, adding just a bit of salt and pepper. This she served on Ritz crackers as the first course in a special holiday meal. So that's what I did with the turkey liver. And it made me feel better. Try it and think of my grandmother. Her name was Jenny.

Here's to daffodills and all the little yellows that are on their way!
Jean

Some Days Just Suck

February 1, 2007

Some days just suck. We've had some really wonderful programs lately - Parker Palmer on Thomas Merton's birthday yesterday was one of them; discovering Satish Kumar last week, the man who walked from Delhi to Washington D.C., was another. I had great expectations heading into today's program with Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize for putting Kenya's rural women to work planting trees. The more I read about her the more impressed I was. Carmen and I have been chasing this woman unsuccessfully for years and then, suddenly, she lands. But on a cell phone! The connection was awful. The publicist had promised she'd be on a land line. She wasn't. She couldn't even be located at first. Then, whack, that lousy phone. Two things can ruin a radio program: a bad guest and a bad phone. And then, to top things off, she had to cut out early. Sorry folks. We'll try harder next time. And for those of you who hung in there, thanks. The good thing about live radio is that when it flops, there's always tomorrow. Let's see what "California's Second Gold Rush" - brings.

Jean

About Apocalypto

January 10, 2007

Okay, guys, let me get this off my chest. It's a terrible movie; don't bother going to see it. What induced me to want to do a program about it was Craig Childs' provocative op ed piece which appeared in the New York Times last week. (There's a link to it on our website today). I found a lot of outright denial in the reviews I read concerning whether the Mayans practiced human sacrifice. They did. To deny the truth of the past, however painful, is to leave it open to distortion. In our political correctness, we mince around what makes us sqirm, apply platitudes and euphemisms, point to our own shortcomings and bloodlettings as if that justifies it, and in the end do nothing to clear up the mess. What I liked about Mel Gibson's horrible movie which he made, I believe, primarily to serve his own religious and political agenda, is that it gave us the opporunity to have an honest conversation about what really went on in Mesoamerica prior to the arrival of Columbus. Noble savages? No. Hideous heathens? Again, no. Real people? Yes. Just like us? Again, yes.

Thanks for the ride.
Jean

Liberia Continued

January 4, Independence Day in Burma

I'd love to get your feedback on the program we did today featuring Burma's Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi. Without intending it, it reinforced the theme we seem to be following lately of women waging peace around the world.

I met many of them while I was in Liberia. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's president and the first woman to lead an African nation, actually waited tables and mopped the floors at Rehnebohm's while she was in Madison many years ago working on a degree in business. It seems that it was a wonderful preparation for cleaning up a corrupt and totally trashed country following a fifteen year civil war. And it was the women of Liberia - the illiterate market women - who were primarily responsible for bringing her to power. They also forced a negotiated peace by locking the men up until they agreed to sign the peace treaty. Now what can we learn from their example?

I, for one, will be following their progress with great interest. Are they up to the challenge? Can they really do a better job in occupying the leadership vacuum left by Charles Taylor and so many dead men?

In Rwanda the women occupy 49% of the seats in Parliament -greater than any other nation in the world! And they are busily transforming their country, finding homes for the war orphans, establishing health centers, and bringing the ex-combatants to trial using a traditional system of justice. Truly inspiring. I'm hoping to feature them in a future Here on Earth program. Please let me know what you think of this programming stream.

I'm off to spend some quality time in the Anza-Borrego desert for a long weekend with some dear friends. I'm hoping for some comments from you when I return.

Oh, and by the way, I'll have some great photographs from Liberia to post when I get back.

Thanks for keeping in touch,
Jean

Back From Liberia

December 22, 2006

I arrived in Monrovia just after the sun had gone down, leaving a thick yolk-yellow band of color all across the horizon with a midnight blue mottled sky above and nothing but blackness below: orange, midnight blue and black. The colors of Africa. Next came the smell: a strong musky odor made up of sweat, heat, fumes, spice, and the acrid smoke from a hundred burning coal fires. It hits you like a slap as soon as you walk down the ladder, an almost suffocating odor from which there is no escape.

The city is almost completely trashed, the buildings looted and ransacked with even the wires having been ripped from the walls. People live in ramshackle huts with tin roofs held up by crooked beams. I saw a family of wild pigs including the boar rutting in an empty field right across from the American Embassy. I saw men sleeping in wheelbarrows. I saw turds rolling in the surf and a boy wiping his behind the morning I walked on the beach. There are very few roads in the whole country, no sewage system, no trash collection, no clean running water. Liberia can hardly be called a country, in fact. And yet, in spite of all this, I have never met more magnificent human beings in my life.

More later.

Thanks for caring.

Jean

And now....Liberia!

Friday, Nov. 30,2006

If you were listening closely during my program with Swanee Hunt on Nov. 20, you might have heard her say, "I'm going to Liberia with some women in a couple of weeks...would you like to come?"

Well, acting on the premise that the postman only knocks once, I'm flying to Brussels on Dec. 7 and from there on to Monrovia via Dakar. Yikes.

I will be with a delegation of some 27 women, a number of them from WAPP, Swanee's Women and Public Policy Center at The Kennedy School. We will be meeting with Liberia's new president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, as well as the women in the market who got her elected. I like that span. Ms. President happens to be a UW-alum, which is just nifty. While there we will also visit a UN refugee camp and travel by helicopter in-country to a community center that's entirely women-run. Now, would you say no?

I'll tell you all about it when I get back on Dec. 18.

Thanks for reading this. It would be very encouraging to see a few messages posted when I check again. I promise I'll figure out how to write back.

Jean

China, the Anti-Italy

November 10, 2006

I know you've all been waiting to hear about my trip to China. Thank you for your patience. The truth is, it's taken me these several weeks to get over my culture shock and recover my strength. Unfortunately, the day I left Madison I came down with a bacterial infection that eventually landed me in Peoples' Hospital #3 in Chongqing (where we received speedy, efficient, and courteous service) and caused us to cancel our cruise on the Yangstse River and come home several days early. Then, on the flight home I came down with a terrible cold. So, between the jetlag, the culture shock, and the miseries, it was altogether a rough trip.

China is bursting with energy, an economic juggernaut that nobody can stop. In Beijing, there are three streams of traffic: cars and buses, people on bicycles, and people peddling carts. Just by looking at the street you can see three different economic levels of society taking shape before your very eyes. Three hundred new cars enter that stream every day. The traffic is wild, drivers are incredibly skilled, and no westerner can understand why there aren't more accidents. We were in a taxi cab, stalled in the middle of the worst late Friday afternoon traffic jam I have ever been in, when the driver, in total exasperation, did a jack-knife maneuver and crossed three lanes of traffic to deposit us in front of our hotel. There is a tremendous city-wide effort to clean up and modernize in order to prepare for The Olympics. Whole neighborhoods are being razed and new construction is ongoing everywhere which only adds to the grit, the grayness, and the commotion. In China, you cease thinking about global warming as an idea, and begin to understand it as a huge universal problem that we simply must tackle head-on if we are all going to survive.

Another thing: I left an omnivore and came home a vegetarian. This is a humbling and surprising consequence of my travels since I have been famous, both on air and off, for my derision and scorn for "greenies." But visiting the so-called "wet markets" in Beijing and Xian, which seemed to me like huge death chambers where everything is trapped and doomed: live crabs, and eels, and turtles, and frogs, and fish, all crammed in as tightly as pencils in a box, all trying desperately to claw and haul their way out of their tanks, made me hyper-aware for the first time in my life of what eating really is. These were huge markets that made me ask myself, how long can humans go on heedlessly consuming on this scale before the oceans and the rivers and the lakes are all depleted? And do I really need to kill in order to stay alive? So that's why in coming home I'm so grateful to have discovered Deborah Madison's beautiful cookbooks.

More later. As you can see, China was a profound and disurbing experience.

Have any of you ever been there? Do these impressions seem off-base to you? I'd love to hear your responses.

Thanks,
Jean

Off to China!

October 13, 2006

Well, I'm off to China for two weeks, amazingly enough, leaving theprogram in very capable hands. Emily Auerbach and Anne Strainchamps will be filling in for me while I'm gone and they have both come up with some exciting topics. I'm still trying to finish my book - one more paragraph to go - it's been a real marathon, so I haven't had much time to think about my trip. I'm hoping to blog while I'm there, when it feels more real.

I'll be back on Monday, Oct. 30, with another program about the spectacular and amazing Shabnam Ramaswamy and the school she and her late husband established for street children in rural India. I listened to Dheera Sujan's Radio Netherlands documentary about it, and it made me want to cheer. Human beings at their finest.You'll cheer too.

Next stop - Beijing! Catch you later.

Jean

Jean Feraca as Cleopatra

Friday, Oct. 13, 2006

From the October 2006 issue of aNew Magazine:

Witty and engaging, Jean feraca was in high spirits at our annual Halloween photo shoot. "I absolutely love Halloween," says the host of WPR's popular "Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders," which is heard Monday through Friday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Jean says Halloween has always been a big production at her house. When her sons -- now 25 and 33 -- were little, their family embraced the holiday with ambitious creativity. "I remember there was one year when one of the boys went as cow who butchered people! It was quite gory and effective," she says, laughing.

Inspiration for such over-the-top creativity may be attributed to Jean's mother, Rose, who spent her golden years living at Oakwood Village in Madison. "My mother loved costumes and she dressed up every year," she says. "She was the best witch and everyone was just terrified."

Now, the tradition continues. As a tribute to her theatrical mother, Jean makes sure to bring out her inner witch each and every year.

Somalia and Sauerkraut

Friday, Oct. 6, 2006

Well, it's been a great day Here on Earth! This morning I had the honor and the pleasure of meeting a fantastic woman named Asha Hagi Elmi who is here in Madison to give the Soffe lecture. She arrived with her traveling companion and the two of them, big, beautiful black women fabulously dressed and be-jeweled in many-layered silks and scarves, Asha wearing silver, black and pink, and her friend in black with a red and black striped head scarf, filled up the reception room like a two-woman U.N. One of the many things I learned from them is that Somalis have no hostility toward their former Italian colonizers, indeed, they eat Italian food, pattern their dress after Italian fashion, and even decorate their homes al'Italiana! Asha was named one of the 1000 women eligible for a Nobel Peace prize and she surely deserves it, having founded an NGO called Save Somali Women and Children which is educating young women, training them for jobs, helping to end forced child marriages and the hideous practice of female genital mutilation. She is also a Machiavellian strategist having used the concept of clan to transcend it by creating The Sixth Clan, all women from various tribes united for political and social power. You'll be hearing from Asha in a future Here on Earth program.

I heard from several of you who were disappointed with our program on fundamentalism with Martin Marty which used a sensational device at the start of the program which juxtaposed The Jesus Camp with a Pakistani mudrassah. I can understand why you objected, and I appreciate your suggestions on constructive ways to depict Christian fundamentalists.

And to those of you who enjoyed meeting The Bioneers, you'll be pleased to know we're planning on future collaborations.

And now, even as I write I'm getting ready for an Ode to Sauerkraut!

Thanks for all your help.

Jean

Interfaith Dialogue on Here on Earth?

September 29, 2006

Hi Guys, It's been a while. I have been madly trying to meet a deadline with the UW Press on my long-awaited book which is due at the end of this month (Yikes!). I've never been without so much sleep for such a long time. I told my husband it was alright with me if he consigned me to the attic or committed me to an asylum. He said, "Please, just promise me you'll never write another book." And this from a man who has stacks of them in every room in the house. Shows you what he'shad to put up with.

Anyway, what with all this flap about the Pope and his humungus gaff about Islam, the thought occurred to me, why not start an ongoing interfaith dialogue right here on the radio, on Here on Earth? Trouble is, such a venture would fly or fail depending on the guests. Do any of you have any suggestions? Know any open-minded rabbis, Imams, or priests? It wouldn't necessarily have to be clerics. Joan Chittister strikes me as someone who might be just right. And I heard a very impressive Imam from Boston on Tom Ashbrook's show about a week ago, responding to the Pope. I would very much appreciate your help with this.

Joe Hardtke, our Techinical Director, is back from Europe, thank God. I hate to let him know how much he was missed. Things went much more smoothly this week, although we did get an inflammatory response from one highly irate listener to Monday's show on "Literature from the Axis of Evil," who claims that if bombs ever start falling on Iran, he's holding me responsible. I do see his point. No wonder some writers from countries like Syria withdrew their submissions once they discovered they would be published in an anthology with such a title.

Any other complaints? We do read them all and post them on our website. Even if it's nasty, we still want to hear from you. We want you to help us shape this program which is still an ongoing experiment.

There will be a Pumpkin Regatta on Lake Mendota this weekend. Maybe I'll see some of you there.

Have a great weekend, especially thoseof you who are headed to Octoberfests.

Best,
Jean

A Wild Week

Friday, September 15, 2006

I'm looking back at the week and shaking my head. Boy, did we ever cover a lot of territory, beginning with our 9/11 show with Michael Ratner, followed by the Mexican elections, then on to Tuvan rock throat-singing, then the visionary James Martin with his counter Doomsday take on the future of the 21st century, and ending with a salute to cheddar cheese! Now that's one wild whitewater ride. And all of it done running on fumes without the benefit of the manic Joe Hardtke, our Technical and Creative Director who's been on a looong European vacation, well deserved, but you picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.

I was very grateful to the callers in the Michael Ratner show, especially to Pat who called in at the very end of the hour and cried. Thank you, Pat. You have restored my faith in my fellow countrymen who seem to have become rather blase at the notion of torture, rendition, and black sites controlled by the CIA. Sorry, but I can't conceal my sorrow and outrage.

And thank you for all those great calls on Tuesday in the Mexican election show! It was very gratifying to get such a robust response. Makes me think a global cultural call-in program on WPR is not such a crazy idea after all.

My favorite program this week was the one with the Tuvan throat singer doing classic rock, but you guys know by now how much I love way-out stuff like that. I hope somebody goes to his concert in Humboldt Park tonight and sends us a report.

My favorite guest this week was James Martin, the British futurist who seems to have so much clear-eyed, level-headed faith in the ability of The Transition Generation to steer us through the whitewater bottleneck ahead. He also has a lot of faith in our capacity to reach an understanding across diverse cultures. He's predicting that by 2050 we'll all be familiar with all the world's diverse cultures. Too bad I won't be around that long.

One more thing: I had a bright idea after hearing Joe Elder give his talk last Wednesday on The Roots of Conflict in the Middle East. What do you think about starting an Interfaith dialogue on Here on Earth? Do any of you know any religious leaders from the three major faiths that might be really good in such a context? One of the points James Martin makes in "The Meaning of the 21st Century" is that the most dfficult task that we face is in avoiding antagonisms among religions. "It would be an irony grander than any in great theater," he says, if the religions that evolved from the teachings of the world's saintly prophets somehow prompted wars that wiped out civilization." Indeed.

Thanks for staying in touch.

Jean

India's Judge Judy

September 1, 2006

My favorite show this week was Monday's "Durga's Court" with the indomitable forever-hoarse Shabnam Ramaswamy, a real firecracker if there ever was one, a self-appointed judge in her native village in India who holds court on her veranda twice a week. The amazing thing is that people actually follow her rulings with no penalties or enforcement policies to make them comply. They just trust her judgement and respect her authority. With some people you just feel as if you've known them all your life. She's one of them. No matter that she's half way across the world and I'll probably never see her. If you happen to have missed that show, I really recommend that you find a way to listen, either on the podcast or the web. She's my pick for this week's Queen of Here on Earth. We're hoping to do a follow-up when documentarian Dheera Sujan produces another Radio Netherlands program about Shabnam's school for street kids, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to generate some support for it.

Another heavy-weight contender for this week's Queen is the ever redoubtable and intrepid and amazingly courageous Sarah Chayes who is fighting guns with roses in Kandahar.

And so far, I haven't gotten stoned for promoting cigar smoking, but close. That one went up in smoke.

I love it when you guys call in. But why do you always make me work so hard at it? What's the difference between the programs that light up like Christmas trees and the ones that stay dark? Why, for example, were there no calls this week for Judge Judy, and only one call for A Force More Powerful? It always feels like a party where nobody shows up when you don't call. Topics too esoteric? Don't know enough to be able to contribute meaningfully to the conversation? You can alway ask questions, you know.

Anyway, have a great Labor Day weekend. Thanks for making my labor worthwhile.

Jean

Lost in the Amazon and Leatherback Turtles

Thursday, August 24, 2006
One of the things I love best about live radio is its unpredictability. I knew Carl Safina was a wonderfully evocative writer, but I didn't think that a whole hour talking about turtles was likely to evoke a lot of callers. You guys were great! It was especially delightful today to hear first from Laura with her story about travelling to Trinidad with Earth Watch to observe leatherbacks laying their eggs, and then in the very next minute to get a call from Bob, her husband, on the road! It was also very inspiring to hear from so many of you who are natural conservationists and obviously care deeply about the natural world. We'll look for more programs like this one. Any of you got any suggestions? I was glad for the tip on Gary Nabham's book, "Singing the Turtles Home."

I'm curious about how you liked Yossi Ghinsburg, the amazing Israeli adventurer who had a narrow escape backpacking in the Amazon as a young man and now lives in the Australian rainforest. I thought he was great, but a friend of mine who listened to the program hated him! He couldn't stand the way he kept denying the malevolence of nature. I myself was skeptical about his assertion that indigenous people don't die from snakebite. I don't think that's really true. Anyway, I'd love to hear from you about any of the above. I tend to write about the programs that I think are successful but it might be more instructive to write about the one that aren't.

By the way - spread the word - we are now podcasting all five of our programs, which is exciting. Some people in New York have been asking about the food programs in particular.

And one more thing - we have a fascinating program coming from Radio Netherlands on Monday about an amazing woman in a little village in India who operates a funky impromptu court to resolve disputes on her veranda - sort of the Judge Judy of India. Try not to miss it. It would be great to have you on board.

Ubundu and Tikkun

Well, guys, I don't know about you, but after hearing from Fadli, Johnny, and then Sivuyile, the Xhosa man last week, I'm tempted to invest in South Africa. And after that, I'm probably going to join Michael Lerner's spiritual progressives. Any club that's smart enough to invite Joan Chittister is good enough for me. It was wonderful to hear Michael Lerner's passion about his plan to bring a lasting peace to the Middle East, and the generosity behind his idea to start a Global Marshall Plan. And I loved the way he stood up to the caller who accused him of leading the Jews into another Holocaust. When you think about it, his ideas are not very different from what Sivuyile described as Ubundu - I am who I am because of you. After hearing Sivuyile talk about Ubundu on Here on Earth last Wednesday, someone who had lived in South Africa sent an email telling how schoolchildren there used to leave a little bit of their lunch for a kid who didn't have any food, but in such a way as to allow him to save face. Now if we could just do that in places like Palestine and Lebanon....
Does this make any sense?

A Day in the Life...

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006

Today was Here on Earthian - I bumped into Parker Palmer in the hall, which is a little like bumping into an oak tree. Parker has been one of the great inspirations for Here on Earth ever since I had an "Ah-hah!" moment during a show we did together on "Invisible Communities" many years ago when I suddenly came to understand my talk show as a kind of Kurt Vonnegut "karrass: a community of people who don't know each other, who have never met, but who somehow manage to God's will."

Then I got to spend an hour with two South African men, one of whom looks like Zorba the Great and the other like the King of Siam, talking about teaching science in South Africa - a huge challenge in a country where only whites were permitted to study math and science under apartheid. There are here at the UW as part of an exciting exchange program begun by Raymond Kessel, a South African geneticist on campus. We're hoping to do more programs on South Africa in the future.

No sooner did the program end, then I got whisked away by my crazy Haitian friend, Babette, who has just adopted an adorable eleven-year old child named Tara who can only say two words in English - "Thank you" - and who tried (unsuccessfully) to teach me how to say my name in Creole, trying very hard to keep from hooting at the results.

Now that's what I call a Here on Earth day!

By the way, to those of who have been sending your encouraging comments to our website, a heartfelt "Thank you." You're a lifeline.